CollectionThe Life of a City: Early Films of New York, 1898 to 1906

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Panorama of Blackwell's Island, N.Y.
This film was photographed from a boat heading south along the eastern shore of Blackwell's Island (known today as Roosevelt Island). The island lies in the East River, between Manhattan (which can...

New York City dumping wharf
The film shows a wharf where a barge is being loaded with trash from two-wheeled, horse-drawn wagons. The trash is dumped off the edge of the pier onto the barge, where men...

Delivering newspapers
Distributing a war extra | Delivering a war extra on Union Square | World news wagon
The film shows a group of about fifty pre-adolescent boys running and crowding around a one-horse paneled newspaper van that pulls up in the foreground of the picture. On the side of...

Buffalo Bill's wild west parade
Parade of Buffalo Bill's Wild West
The film shows a parade down Fifth Avenue, New York. In the foreground many children, both black and white, can be seen following alongside the parade. The participants in the parade include...

N.Y. Fire Department returning
New York Fire Department returning | Return of the fire departmant | Return of N.Y. Fire Dept.
Shot at an unidentified location in New York City, the film shows several pieces of horse-drawn fire vehicles in motion: two hook-and-ladders [Frame: 0114, 0905]; two steam pumpers [0373, 1111]; a rescue...

Departure of Peary [and the] "Roosevelt" from New York
Departure of Peary [and] Roosevelt from New York
The camera pans to show the schooner "Roosevelt" docked at a covered pier on the Hudson River on Manhattan's west side. Then, from a camera position on board, men in straw hats...

Lower Broadway
Street scene on Lower Broadway, NY City | Street scene on Lower Broadway, N.Y. City | Scene on Lower Broadway
The film shows a view which appears to be looking north on Broadway at the intersection of Wall Street, in front of Trinity Church. The sidewalk along Broadway is crowded with people,...

Panorama from Times Building, New York
The view is from the top of the then newly-erected Times Building, at a height of approximately twenty stories. The film opens with a vertical pan, going from the street below up...

At the foot of the Flatiron
Windy day at the Flatiron
This street level view is of the Broadway side of the Flatiron, or Fuller Building, near the narrow north corner. Filmed on a very windy day, pedestrians of various descriptions are seen...

Panorama of Flatiron Building
Panorama of Flatiron Building [New York City] | Eighth wonder | Flatiron Building panorama
This shows a view looking south from Madison Square, across the intersection of Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and Twenty-third Street, to the famous Fuller (or "Flatiron") Building. The cameraman elevates his camera, going...

Pilot boats in New York harbor
A New York harbor pilot boat passes close enough for four members of the crew to be seen [Frame: 0471]. Following the sailing vessel is a steamship [0780]. From a contemporary Edison...

Interior N.Y. subway, 14th St. to 42nd St.
Interior New York subway, Fourteenth Street to Forty-second Street | Interborough Subway 8 from 14th St. to 42nd St. | Interborough subway from 14th St. to 42nd St. | New York subway | In the N.Y. subway | Interboro subway
The camera platform was on the front of a New York subway train following another train on the same track. Lighting is provided by a specially constructed work car on a parallel...

Beginning of a skyscraper
Starting a skyscraper
The scene is an excavation site in New York City. A large group of workmen with picks and shovels are digging. Carts drawn by pairs of horses can be seen emerging from...

Broadway & Union Square, New York
Broadway and Union Square, New York | Scene on Broadway
A horse-drawn street car with a sign for Broadway pulls away from the camera with a full compliment of passengers. Another approaches the camera position and they pass. The first car stops...

Bargain day, 14th Street, New York
Bargain day, Fourteenth Street, New York | Bargain day on Fourteenth St., New York | Bargain day on 14th St., New York
The film shows hundreds of tightly packed people crowding into the front door of the Rothschild Co. 5 and 10 cent store. They are so closely packed it is difficult to tell...

Emigrants [i.e. immigrants] landing at Ellis Island
Immigrants landing at Ellis Island | Emigrants landing at Ellis Island
From a contemporary Edison film company catalog: EMIGRANTS LANDING AT ELLIS ISLAND. Shows a large open barge loaded with people of every nationality, who have just arrived from Europe, disembarking at Ellis...

Panorama of Riker's Island, N.Y.
The film was photographed from a boat going around Riker's Island. Located on the East River north of Hell Gate between the Bronx and Queens, Riker's Island was the site of a...

Panorama water front and Brooklyn Bridge from East River
Panorama waterfront and Brooklyn Bridge from East River
This film depicts the East River shoreline and the piers of lower Manhattan starting at about Pier 5 (the New York Central Pier) opposite Broad Street, and extending to the Mallory Line...

Star Theatre
Star Theater
Using time-lapse photography, the film shows the demolition of the famous Star Theatre. Judging from the various exposures, the work must have gone on for a period of approximately thirty days. The...

Arrival of emigrants [i.e. immigrants], Ellis Island
Arrival of immigrants, Ellis Island | Arrival of emigrants, Ellis Island
Depicts scenes at the Immigration Depot and a nearby dock on Ellis Island. Appears to show, first, a group of immigrants lined up to board a vessel leaving the island, then another...

Fireboat "New Yorker" in action
Fireboat "New Yorker" in action--excerpts
A demonstration by the famous fireboat "New Yorker." The picture shows the fireboat with all its nozzles spurting water as it goes back and forth in front of the camera. Put in...

New York City "ghetto" fish market
"A fine panoramic view of this busy market on a Friday morning. Immense throngs of people are seen passing along the stands and making their selections of fish. A great character study....

White Wings on review
"A fine picture of the celebrated "White Wings" or street- cleaning department of one district of Greater New York, showing over 350 men in line, and over 100 carts that are used...

The skyscrapers of New York
Skyscrapers
This melodrama was filmed during the actual construction of a skyscraper in New York City, and includes several scenes of real work crews: a line of bricklayers [Frame: 1773 (part 1)], a...

Automobile parade
Parade of automobiles
This may be the first annual automobile parade, held on November 4, 1899 in downtown Manhattan. At least ten different makes and models are seen, including electric and steam powered machines. Only...

Elevated railroad, New York
Around the big curves | Elevated R.R. 110 St. curve, New York City | Around the big curves on the Manhattan Elevated R.R.
The film was photographed from the front platform of a train traveling over elevated tracks in New York City. Although many of the buildings alongside the tracks can be seen, it is...

New York Harbor Police boat Patrol capturing pirates
N.Y. Harbor Police boat "Patrol" capturing pirates
This was probably filmed in the southern part of the Upper New York Bay looking towards the Narrows, with Fort Lafayette partly visible in the far background. The subject is a simulated...

New York police parade, June 1st, 1899
N.Y. police parade, June 1st, 1899
The film shows members of "New York's Finest" parading at a crowded Union Square. There are members of the Bicycle Squad [Frame: 0396], mounted horses [0612], and two regimental marching bands [2518,...

Parade of "exempt" firemen
The film shows a large group of people watching the approach of a color guard followed by a number of elderly marching firemen [Frame: 1734] pulling antique fire equipment [2486]. In the...

What happened on Twenty-third Street, New York City
What happened on 23rd Street, New York City
A street level view from the sidewalk, looking along the length of 23rd Street. Following actuality footage of pedestrians and street traffic, the actors, a man in summer attire and a woman...

Excavating for a New York foundation
Lifting a wagon from a New York foundation
The scene is an excavation pit at an unidentified New York City construction site. A crew of six men can be seen shoveling dirt into a four-wheeled wooden cart. Then a full...

Funeral of Hiram Cronk
The film shows a city thoroughfare lined with crowds of people watching a military parade. The first group to come into view is a marching band [Frame: 0120], then a large formation...

Opening of new East River bridge, New York
The first view is from the roadway of the Williamsburg Bridge on the day of the opening. Close-ups of the parading dignitaries and members of the press [Frame: 0345] are seen. From...

Pennsylvania Tunnel excavation
This film employs a 180-degree pan shot of the excavation site of New York's Pennsylvania Station, and includes shots of the narrow-gauge train used to haul debris from the tunnels under construction....